Palestine Action crowdfunding blocked by US sanctions

Due to CrowdJustice’s and other platforms’ reliance on US services, we are unable to fundraise for legal fees needed for our supreme court challenge, Huda Ammori, a co-founder of Palestine Action, stated according to theguardian.com. An online crowdfunder established to finance a UK Supreme Court challenge against the proscription of Palestine Action has been blocked due to United States sanctions targeting the direct-action group.

CrowdJustice, a UK-based company, refused to host the fundraising effort for legal costs because the platform relies on the US company Stripe as its payment processor. In an email reviewed by the Guardian, CrowdJustice stated that Stripe confirmed it cannot support accounts or transactions linked to, or benefiting, Palestine Action, including circumstances where funds are raised for legal proceedings. The US sanctions were enacted last month by Donald Trump using presidential powers introduced by George W. Bush in 2001 following the 9/11 attacks.

Palestine Action was banned under UK law in June last year by then-home secretary Yvette Cooper, placing the direct-action network alongside organizations such as Islamic State and Boko Haram. When that proscription was initially challenged in the High Court, a CrowdJustice fundraiser generated more than £300,000 within days. However, the designation shifted when the US designated the group as a global terrorist organization, triggering the current financial restrictions.

Legal Costs and Court Battles Surrounding Palestine Action

The British government has spent substantial public funds defending the proscription through the judicial system. The Home Office spent £700,000 defending the ban in the High Court, according to the Independent, with total government expenditures expected to be significantly higher after the case proceeded to the Court of Appeal. The Court of Appeal overturned a previous High Court decision that had ruled the ban unlawful, and the legal battle is scheduled to reach the UK Supreme Court in November.

Huda Ammori criticized the financial asymmetry of the litigation, noting that the state continues to spend millions of pounds to cover legal costs defending what she termed a disproportionate and draconian ban. That ban has resulted in more than 3,700 arrests of individuals holding signs allegedly supporting a proscribed organization. Ammori asserted that both the British government and the US are placing every possible obstacle in the group’s way to stack the odds against them.

Broader Impact on Free Speech and Legal Challenges in Scotland

The restrictions on crowdfunding extend beyond the primary Supreme Court challenge. Former British diplomat Craig Murray, who is mounting a separate legal challenge against the ban on Palestine Action in Scotland, also had his CrowdJustice fundraiser for legal fees taken down following the US terror designation. Murray called the move disgraceful, stating that the situation compounds legislation affecting freedom of speech by crippling the ability to fight the ban legally through the courts.

Ammori argued that the coalition of powerful entities acting against citizens exercising their conscience sets a dangerous precedent for British civil liberties. She emphasized that the Supreme Court case carries critical implications for freedom of speech in Britain as well as for Palestinians, noting that a successful outcome would quash all prosecutions of protesters who held signs, whereas failure would expose thousands of people to potential jail time. Stripe declined to comment on individual users, and CrowdJustice was also approached for comment by the Guardian.